Field Test: LA’s Best Valets Take on the Stingray

There are no wiser men than Hollywood car parkers to gauge the true star power of an automobile...

Practically every car critic from Detroit to London has weighed in on the new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, and you’d be hard-pressed to find any negative reviews. Sales of the seventh generation vehicle, known among car aficionados as simply the ‘C7’, are up more than 200 percent.

The moment you see the new model, which is only the third generation Corvette to carry the Stingray badge, you notice it’s a sharp departure from previous editions. Hammering down on that gas pedal and hearing those 460 horses rumbling through the exhaust pretty much confirms it. Chevy recently announced that the higher-performance new Z06 model will pump out 650 horsepower, making it the most juiced-up Corvette ever.

“I drive so many European sports cars, it’s nice to see an American muscle car that can compete with those now.”
—Matthew Carhill, The Redbury Hotel

Still, a question looms: Does the styling of the C7 hold up to the star power of those coveted exotics? To find out, we hit some of LA’s hottest hotels to check in with guys who routinely park Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Granted, some of those rides cost four times more than the loaded $76K Velocity yellow Z51 Corvette we were driving. But there are no better judges than LA valets to gauge the true star power of an automobile.

The Spot:Mr. C Beverly Hills HotelValet: John PrinaFirst Impression: “Amazing, I love it. It looks really sleek and really clean.”Exterior Design (1 to 5): 5Interior Design (1 to 5): 4Best Design Feature: “What I like about it is that it has a design that’s very sporty, but it’s not over the top. It’s modern but not too overly flashy. It’s a great middle ground where it’s still high-end but not just showing off for the sake of it. “Final Thoughts: “It’s beautiful. I’m not usually big on yellow, but I like it on this. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this an 8 or 9.”

The Spot:The Redbury Hotel, HollywoodValet: Matthew CarhillFirst Impression: “I love the yellow, surprisingly enough. I love this car. It’s beautiful. I love the design of it. I was never a really huge Corvette fan, but this year’s model is amazing.”Exterior Design: 5Interior Design: 4 ½Best Design Feature: “I love the hood with that little bit of black it, but on that end, I love the rear end as well. I just think it looks good structurally, the shape and everything.”Final Thoughts: “I drive so many European sports cars, it’s nice to see an American muscle car that can compete with those now.”

The Spot:Oceana Beach Club Hotel, Santa MonicaValet: Robert HendricksFirst Impression: “I got to be honest, this is like my favorite color in a car, yellow with the black rims and the black interior. The first time I saw one of these, I was just blown away by the new design. I think it looks great.”Exterior Design: 5Interior Design: 4Best Design Feature: “I like the yellow comes down in the middle (inside), so it kind of gives you that outside in feel. That’s what I like the most and the black lip.”Final Thoughts: “This is a sexy automobile. If you get in this and you’re riding around town you’re going to get some looks.”

The Spot:SLS Hotel, Beverly HillsValet: Alan AcevedoFirst Impression: “Very sporty.”Exterior Design: “10”Interior Design: 5Best Design Feature: “The four exhaust pipes on the back, how they all line up. I like the way it feels too… like I could take control of the car if I was going 140 or a 150 mph.”Final Thoughts: “Compared to the old ones, I think they did a very nice job of making it look a little more futuristic and at the same time sporty.”

So the verdict is in, and it’s clear that the new Corvette Stingray is fully deserving of premium parking even at spots frequented by A-Listers. Now, whether or not the C7 can actually lure more high rollers out of their exotics remains to be seen. But it has certainly proven that it deserves a shot. All together now: U-S-A, U-S-A…